Peak Astronomy
Bespoke Stargazing Experiences, Astrophotography Training & Workshops
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About Peak Astronomy
Peak Astronomy specialises in delivering bespoke stargazing & astronomy experiences, astrophotography training and astrophotography imaging workshops.
Take a journey through space and time with the aid of computer controlled telescopes, exploring the night sky on your bespoke astronomy experience.
Based around the Peak District & Cheshire but also available on request at locations across the UK or even at your own garden.
Learn how to photograph the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights.
Suitable for complete beginners and those wishing to build on existing experience.
Accessible activities available. You can even sit in your own home/holiday accommodation linked to a telescope outside.
Peak Astronomy is delivered by the same team as the award winning myGuidedWalks, Experience of the Year 2023.
Aurora, Stargazing & Astronomy Experiences from £120
Highlights
Explore the night sky on your bespoke stargazing and astronomy experience.
Journey through space and time with the aid of a computer controlled telescope and astronomy camera.
Discover our galaxy the Milky Way, the Andromeda galaxy or colourful nebulae such as the Orion Nebula.
Learn to recognise the north star, star constellations and planets.
Capture astronomy photographs to keep and share.
Standard experience available across the Peak District & Cheshire or for a small supplement at locations across England and Wales.
Accessible experiences available. You can even sit in your accommodation linked to a telescope outside.
Valid for 1 year from the date purchased.
Note: the date you select is the start of your 12 month validity. See weather and flexibility section below.2 or 3 hour experience for 1 to 6 people. Additional hours can be added.
£120 for 1st person for 2 hours, each additional person £20, each additional hour £40
Please contact me to discuss content, timings and locations.
Click here to read more
Enhanced experience through the use of astronomy cameras.
Unlike many astronomy experiences we will have the ability to use a dedicated astronomy camera and specialist filters in addition to telescopes to view the night sky. This opens up the opportunity to experience the colourful world of deep sky objects including galaxies, nebulae and also the milky way. Without the use of a camera you are limited to observing the brighter objects such as stars, planets and the moon and a few of the brighter deep space objects. If you're very lucky you may have the opportunity for some aurora watching and catch the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).
Depending on the length of your experience and clear skies there is also the option to capture a high quality image which I will then carefully process for you after the event. This will normally take up about an hour of your experience, and will give you a good understanding of what is involved in astrophotography.
If the skies stay clear, and my availability allows, I may be able to continue capturing the image after your experience ends - with astrophotography the longer you capture an image the better the quality. I will often capture images with exposures totalling over 2 or 4 hours or even over multiple nights. There wouldn't be any additional charges if I choose to do this.
Please contact me whenever you are ready to discuss options for the content of your experience, either before or after purchasing your activity. We will also discuss potential locations for your activity, select a provisional date (if not already booked), or if you prefer you can just indicate roughly when you'd like it to take place. Depending on what you wish to focus your experience on could also influence the best times to hold your experience, such as taking account of moon phases and the astronomical seasons. I can help guide you on selecting a suitable date.
Astrophotography Training & Workshops
Beginner Astrophotography Course from £150
3 x 3hr modules delivered on a private / 1 to 1 basis (you can book for more than 1 person)
Introduction to Astrophotography 3hrs
Practical Night Astrophotography 3hrs
Image Processing 3hrs
£399 for all 3 modules or £150 for any 1 module
Delivered at your location (see more on locations below) or online, plus a suitable outdoor night location
No astronomy equipment needed#
Accessible training available. You can even sit indoors linked to a telescope outside via Wi-Fi.
Voucher valid for 1 year from the time of purchase
#the image processing module requires the use of free software running on a Windows PC or Mac. You don't need your own camera or telescope for the course and I would recommend waiting before buying.
Please contact me so we can discuss content, timings and locations.
Bespoke Astrophotography Training from £40/hr
Consists of a combination of classroom theory and practical workshop sessions
Suitable for complete beginners as well as those with previous experience
Content selected based on your interests and level of detail and speed of progression desired
Delivered on a private / 1 to 1 basis (you can book for more than 1 person)
Training can cover astronomy and astrophotography topics including but not limited to: gear selection, astrophotography with just a camera, trackers, GOTO mounts, telescopes, software and mobile apps, image calibration & stacking, image processing, advanced image processing, "Lucky Imaging" for lunar and planetary objects, solar, aurora borealis (northern lights), milky way, widefield, nightscapes (landscape astrophotography), deep sky objects including emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, galaxies, star clusters etc.
I'll discuss your interests with you and put together a proposed plan for your training although this can remain flexible as you progressTraining can be delivered at your own home, online if preferred, or at another agreed location (see more on locations below)
Accessible training available. You can even sit indoors for the practical workshops, linked to a telescope outside via Wi-Fi.
Available from £40 per hour. Based on a standard hourly rate of £50, discounted by 20% to £40 per hour if you purchase credits for 10 or more hours
No astronomy equipment needed#
I generally find that 2 or 3 hour training sessions work well. Your purchase is also valid for any imaging workshop content.
Voucher valid for 1 year from the time of purchase
Minimum duration 2 hours (or 1 hour if online)
#astronomical image processing, particularly for deep sky objects, requires the use of free (or paid) software running on a Windows PC or Mac. You don't need your own camera or telescope for the course and I would recommend waiting before buying if new to astronomy as we can look at gear selection.
Please contact me so we can discuss content, timings and locations.
Bespoke Astrophotography Imaging Workshops from £40/hr
Imaging workshops are practical astrophotography sessions aimed at capturing amazing images with tuition and assistance from me.
Delivered on a private / 1 to 1 basis (you can book for more than 1 person).
Use your own equipment or I can demonstrate using mine or a combination of both (you receive a copy of the images either way).
Workshops can be delivered either from your own garden or other agreed outdoor or dark sky location (see more on locations below).
Accessible workshops available. You can even sit indoors linked to a telescope outside via Wi-Fi.
Each workshop will be planned around your aims and interests and level of experience and could include but are not limited to: astrophotography with just a camera, astrophotography with a DSLR + basic tracker, astrophotography using a GOTO mount. Objects to image could include constellations, star trails, timelapse, lunar and planetary objects, basic solar imaging using a solar safety filter, widefield and nightscape astrophotography including landscape astrophotography, capturing the aurora borealis (northern lights), milky way photography, imaging Deep Sky Objects including emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, galaxies, star clusters.
Available from £40 per hour. Based on a standard hourly rate of £50, discounted by 20% if you purchase credits for 10 or more hours
Longer sessions and multiple nights can also be booked at locations within the UK. Your booking is also valid for any training content such as post processing.
Voucher valid for 1 year from the time of purchase
Minimum duration 2 hours
Please contact me so we can discuss content, timings and locations.
Flexibility & Weather
For me, flexibility is key to planning a successful night under the stars.
For all outdoor bookings your booking is valid for 1 year from the time of purchase. You can book a date and then reschedule if the weather isn't suitable, unless you'd prefer to go ahead on the booked date with an indoor workshop or training session instead.
You can contact me whenever you are ready to discuss options for the content of your training, workshop or experience, either before or after purchasing your activity. We will also discuss potential locations for your activity, select a provisional date (if not already booked), or if you prefer you can just indicate roughly when you'd like it to take place.
I will regularly review weather forecasts, and keep you updated in the week leading up to your booking. There is also an option in the booking form to be added to a group where I will post about forecasts for clear skies and key astronomical events as you could decide to bring your booking forward. A final decision to go ahead will usually be taken within 24hrs of the booked date, although I'll take account of the level of flexibility you have, travel plans etc.
I always aim to be as flexible as I can in order to ensure you have the best chance of a successful night and I'm happy to discuss any plans or changes. If you're not located within easy reach of the area we can also discuss how best to make a booking work for you, such as booking accommodation that can be cancelled if we need to reschedule or having a backup plan for indoors.
Partly cloudy weather can still be good but forecasts of full cloud cover or rain will often require a reschedule or switch of location. We can also look at a variety of suitable locations when considering the weather as just relocating by 10 miles can sometimes have a big difference.
Depending on what you wish to focus your workshop or training on could also influence when we agree to go ahead, such as taking account of moon phases and the astronomical seasons.
Locations
My training courses, workshops and experiences are all bespoke and can take place at your own home or at another agreed location such as a holiday property or suitable countryside location with easy access.
The listed prices cover delivery at locations within 25 miles of my base in Macclesfield. This includes the whole of the Peak District and most of Cheshire East, North Staffordshire and Manchester areas (see map).
Activities can also take place at locations across the UK, whether that be at your home location, or a particular dark sky location, interesting landscape feature or viewpoint - I can recommend suitable locations. This can be particularly useful for training courses or workshops focussing on the milky way or landscape astrophotography.
For locations outside of the area indicated on the map please contact me in advance so we can discuss suitable locations, logistics and timings. In most cases an additional charge of £50 will be applied for locations within 110miles which covers most of England and Wales apart from the southern counties and East Anglia region. For areas outside of this I will need to look at options.
